International Space Tragedy
March 3rd, 2037: International Space Tragedy - A Newswire Special Report By: John Waters Yesterday at 7:46 E.S.T., the International Space Station (I.S.S.) was completely destroyed when a large unidentified object was thrown into its path before crashing into the U.S. Laboratory Destiny and causing an explosion which engulfed the entire station. All nine crew members serving aboard the I.S.S. were killed and the station quickly fell from orbit and mostly burned up on re-entry - several large pieces landed safely over the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. The exact cause of the explosion as well as the origin of the lethal debris is still being investigated. It's been ten years since the destruction of the ZAT-2 Station by orbital debris which of course launched the Global Industries much lauded Debris Hopper program. Two years after that and orbital debris had been reduced by 85%. By 2035 it was estimated that all debris had been removed and any newly created debris could be flagged, tracked, and destroyed. The fear of tragedy via space junk had been almost entirely removed. With this in mind, and considering its trajectory, it has been determined that the object which destroyed the I.S.S. was intentionally used as a weapon. Investigators are saying that it's possible the object was a container filled with an explosive substance but the container must have been protected by technology capable of jamming orbital scanners. A nearby scanner satellite witnessed the event and picked up no weapon traces coming from the object which is said to have appeared from nowhere and impacted the I.S.S. while moving at approximately 8 km/sec. The world is looking for answers and many camps are already pointing a finger at the Long Dragon Syndicate. Only two weeks ago the Syndicate leader known only as White Tiger, issued a statement across the Newswire. In this statement he condemned the Global Senate, calling them greedy and weak before threatening to "destroy something of great value to them." The destruction of the I.S.S. would qualify as seeing through on that threat, though no member of the Syndicate has come forward since the incident. The Consortium Queen issued a statement late last night, "First of all I will not comment on whether or not we believe the Long Dragon Syndicate is involved with the tragic destruction of the I.S.S. Right now our priorities are set on a practical, controlled investigation, where through evidence we will get to the bottom of this and ensure justice is had. The King is focusing all of his resources on this investigation and assures me that whoever is responsible cannot hide for long. Thank you, no questions." Originally launched on November 20th, 1998, the International Space Station was not only one of the most expensive human endeavors, but also went on to become the single longest running manned space program in history. The station was originally intended to be decommissioned in 2028 but a strong push toward space exploration following the Resource Wars saw instead the I.S.S. infused with billions of dollars in upgrades from half a dozen nations and another fifteen years of operational funding. Its destruction marks in all ways the single most devastating incident in the history of space exploration. Category:International Space Station Category:Global Newswire Category:Global industries Category:ZAT-2 Station Category:Jammer Category:Long Dragon Syndicate Category:Resource Wars